ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif discussed with his close aides, including federal ministers and senior PML-N leaders, on Monday the political strategy for dealing with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the light of the poll inquiry commission’s report.

Government sources told Dawn that most of the participants of the meeting held at the PM House had expressed their displeasure over the attitude of PTI Chairman Imran Khan for half-heartedly accepting the commission’s report and expressing reservations over it.

According to the sources, some PML-N leaders drew the prime minister’s attention to the “tone” adopted by the PTI chief at his Saturday’s press conference. Instead of apologising to the people for wasting their time through sit-in, Mr Khan asked the prime minister to apologise for delaying the formation of the commission.

They said that although the commission had declared the 2013 elections fair and in accordance with the law, Mr Khan was repeating the allegation of massive rigging. According to the sources, a couple of ministers were of the opinion that the PTI chief was not ready to change his attitude and give up his “politics of agitation” even after the inquiry commission’s report and, therefore, the PML-N should also give a befitting reply inside and outside parliament and support motions tabled by the MQM and JUI-F seeking the de-seating of the PTI legislators.

Ministers angry over Imran’s conduct after the release of poll inquiry commission’s report

But a majority of the PML-N leaders said the party should not support the motions. The sources said the party leadership had decided to adopt a wait-and-see policy and keep the motions pending for the time being to use them at a suitable time in future.

“The motions are expected to be kept pending,” said a federal minister who attended the meeting. But he said a final decision had been left to the prime minister.

“Yes, this issue was thoroughly discussed and the saner elements in the party opposed the idea of supporting any such motion,” said another minister who did not want to be named.

He said the party leadership believed that any such move would provide another opportunity to the PTI to come to use its street power and would also nullify the political gains which the PML-N had achieved after the commission’s report.

According to an official handout, the prime minister stressed that after the commission’s report and political forces’ reaction to it a way forward for stability and strength of the political and democratic system would have to be charted out.

He asked the ministers to highlight the findings of the commission and stressed the need for expediting the process of electoral reforms to make future elections fair and transparent in all respects.

Mr Sharif said the PML-N had been vindicated and would work for strengthening institutions and constitution and improving governance. He urged the ministers and party leaders to reach out to people and inform them about the positive and development-oriented vision of the party which would make the country politically stable and economically viable.

The prime minister said that all stakeholders of democracy should now demonstrate magnanimity and political maturity so that the precious time of the nation would not be wasted in frivolous disputes and petty squabbles.

He said he believed in the politics of values and not in the politics of power, adding that it was high time that “we focus our efforts on strengthening the democratic process with the support of all political leadership of the country”.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafiq, Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sheikh Aftab Ahmed, Adviser to the PM on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and Leader of the House in the Senate Raja Zafarul Haq.

MOTIONS: Meanwhile, the National Assembly Secretariat has included in the agenda of the assembly’s Tuesday’s sitting the two motions moved on April 22 by Salman Baloch of the MQM and Naeema Kishwar of the JUI-F seeking de-seating of 28 PTI MNAs, including its chairman Imran Khan.

They said in their motions said that seats of the PTI members be declared vacant under clause (2) of Article 64 of the Constitution because they had been absent, without leave of the assembly, for 40 consecutive days of the assembly’s sittings.

Under rules, the speaker is required to put the motions for a vote and these can be passed with a simple majority.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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